MIA Update:

National VFW - 9/25/2017

-- Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Francis J. Pitonyak, 25, of Detroit, whose identification was previously announced, will be buried Sept. 22 in Arlington National Cemetery, near
Washington, D.C. Pitonyak was a member of the 36th Fighter Group, 8th
Fighter squadron based at Wards Airdome near Port Moresby, Territory of
Papua. He disappeared while leading a four-ship of single-seat
fighter aircraft on an armed patrol mission. Enroute to Nadzab,
Territory of Papua, the pilots encountered inclement weather, causing
one pilot to return to base, where he reported his fellow pilots,
including Pitonyak, missing. After an unsuccessful aerial search the
following day, Pitonyak was declared deceased on Oct. 28, 1943. Read about Pitonyak.-- Marine Corps Pfc. Ray James, 21, of Sylvarena,
Miss., whose identification was previously announced, will be buried
Sept. 22, in his hometown. James was assigned to Company F, 2nd
Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. James’ unit
landed on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll on Nov. 20,
1943, against stiff Japanese resistance. James was killed on the first
day of the battle. Read about James.-- Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Thomas M. McGraw, 26, of
Lakewood, Ohio, whose identification was previously announced, will be
buried Sept. 22 in Seville, Ohio. McGraw was a member 716th Bomber
Squadron, 449th Bombardment Group. On Feb. 28, 1945, McGraw and 10 other
B-24J Liberator aircrew took off from Grottaglie Army Air Base, Italy,
as part of a mission to target the Isarc-Albes railroad bridge in
northern Italy, which was part of Brennan Route, used by Germans to move
personnel and equipment into and out of Italy. After the bombing run,
the other aircraft moved toward the rally point and witnessed one
aircraft skim the mountain tops with at least two damaged engines. The
plane was last seen near Lake Wiezen in Austria and no parachutes were
reported exiting the aircraft. Based on this information, McGraw was
reported missing in action. Read about McGraw.-- Air Force Col. Martin R. Scott, 34, of, Jenks,
Okla., whose identification was previously announced, will be buried
Sept. 22 in Claremore, Okla. Scott was a fighter pilot assigned to the
8th Tactical Fighter Wing. On Mar. 15, 1966, Scott was piloting an F-4C
Phantom II on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. His
aircraft was shot down while on a strafing run, and no parachutes or
emergency signals were seen. An organized search was not possible due to
hostilities in the area and Scott was subsequently declared missing in
action. Read about Scott.-- Army Pfc. Gerald F. Wipfli, 23, of Nekoosa,
Wis., whose identification was previously announced, will be buried
Sept. 23 in his hometown. Wipfli was a member of Company I, 3rd
Battalion, 112th Infantry. In early November 1944, his unit engaged with
German forces in the town of Schmidt, Germany, within the Hürtgen
Forest. After the intense fighting, it took the unit several days to
account for its personnel. Wipfli was one of 33 unaccounted-for soldiers
and was declared missing in action on Nov. 4, 1944. Read about Wipfli.-- Army Cpl. William R. Sadewasser, 24, of Wellsville,
N.Y., whose identification was previously announced, will be buried
Sept. 23 in Ulysses, Pa. Sadewasser served with Headquarters Battery,
57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, as part of the
31st Regimental Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in
North Korea. The RCT was attacked by an overwhelming number of Chinese
forces in late November 1950. Sadewasser was among the more than 1,000
members of the RCT killed or captured in enemy territory. He was
reported missing as of Nov. 28, 1950. Read about Sadewasser.-- Army Cpl. Daniel F. Kelly, 18, of Pittsburgh,
Pa., whose identification was previously announced, will be buried Sept.
27 in Bridgeville, Pa. Kelly was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion,
9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. In late November 1950, his
unit was ordered to advance as part of an offensive push to drive the
North Koreans to the Yalu River, along the border of North Korea and
China. They were attacked by Chinese forces and Kelly was declared
missing on Nov. 26, 1950. Read about Kelly.-- Army Air Forces Sgt. Charles H. Daman was a member
of the 714th Bombardment Squadron, 448th Bombardment Group, 2nd
Bombardment Division. On April 4, 1945, Daman, along with more than 400
other bombers, took off to attack airbases at Parchim, Perleberg and
Wesendorf, Germany, as part of an Allied attempt to cripple what was
left of the German air force. Daman's aircraft, which held 10 airmen,
was attacked by enemy fighter planes in the vicinity of Hamburg.
Interment services are pending. Read about Daman.-- Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Porter L. Rich was
assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl
Harbor, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Rich
was one of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are
pending. Read about Rich.-- Navy Seaman 2nd Class George J. Wilcox was assigned
to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor,
when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Wilcox was one
of 429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read about Wilcox.-- Army Pvt. Shirley E. Bailey was a medic with Company
G, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. Bailey provided
medical support to his unit as they fought in the Hürtgen Forest of
Germany, an area comprised of roughly 50-square miles along the
Belgian-German border in late 1944. On Nov. 29, when Bailey’s battalion
was moving out, a German counterattack struck his company. Bailey
rushed forward to aid a wounded man and was himself killed by enemy
fire. Interment services are pending. Read about Bailey.